Vard Promar in Brazil will build two pipe lay support vessels for delivery in 2016 and 2017

Vard’s Brazil arm will build two pipe lay support vessels following design collaboration with European offshore oil & gas firms

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has announced it will use its Brazilian facility, Vard Promar, to build two pipe lay support vessels.

The new vessels have been designed by Vard in collaboration with two European oil & gas firms, Norway’s DOF Subsea and French company Technip.

Both vessels will be of the VARD 3 16 design and have a pipe laying tension capacity of 340 tonnes. According to Vard, the vessels will be among the most complex vessels ever constructed in Brazil.

Topside equipment for vessels will be delivered by Huisman of the Netherlands.

Both vessels are being built as part of a series of four pipe lay support vessels designed by Vard in conjunction with DOF Subsea and Technip. The other two vessels will be built and outfitted at Vard’s facilities in Romania and Norway.

CEO and executive director of Vard, Roy Reite commented: “I look forward to working with DOF and Technip on these milestone projects. VARD yards in both Europe and Brazil being chosen to build these vessels illustrate the value of having a global presence when working with international clients, and bringing leading edge technology to new markets.”

According to a statement by Technip, the four new pipelay support vessels (PLSVs) will operate in Brazilian waters to install flexible pipes for an initial eight years.

The contracts represent the largest order in Vard’s history, with an aggregate order value of approximately USD 1.1b. Vard Promar will deliver its vessels during 2016 and 2017.